Can you believe it? We have our own bus.....well not exactly but everywhere you look - SCHMIDTLAND. Not as fun as Disneyland, but darn close. Now that we've been here officially one month Frau Schmidt has made her mark in Deutschland. As we took a road trip last weekend, we were amazed and just had to stop at a Schmidt market. When I introduce myself to people they immediately think I'm fluent in German....well think again...I've got a long ways to go with my German. We're well beyond the 'vacation' mindset and we are settling in. Over the last week I realized that I'm not in the good old US of A and I thought I'd share a few incidents worth a chuckle.
When you think of ATM's you think simple......push in your pin and grab your cash. It's not quite that easy in Germany. It should be - but it wasn't for Frau Schmidt.
BANKING IN DEUTSCHLAND!
In Germany you pay for everything with geld (money). I had a handyman coming to do a couple of things around the house so my first solo trip to the ATM was my imminent. Tim had taken me once before but I have to be honest....I think I was still in that 'overwhelmed' stage and everything he told me in the ATM tutor session went in one ear and out the other. Sorry, honey! I walked into the village and headed straight for Deutsche Bank. As I walk into the lobby there stood 4 very large, intimidating looking machines in front of me. I glance around and see that only one isn't being used. I walk confidently to the machine and much to my surprise....it's in German. I once again look around and see these efficient Germans walking in....getting their cash and merrily going on their way. I dig into my purse to find my IPHONE and click on my translate app. If I ever meet the person that developed that app...I'll hug him for sure! Several minutes have passed....my handyman is probably at the door....and I'm still stuggling to figure out where to insert my card. So much for the translate app....I'd have to dig for my glasses......I'd have to type in every word......I'm just going to go for it..what's the worst that can happen???? Well, my heart begins to flutter as I slide the card in and it disappears.....now what? Wilkomen to Deutsche Bank....I could read that part.....but nothing else looked familiar and I knew I was in for it.......until this very nice German man on the ATM next to me asked if I needed a little help. Me......help......what was he thinking....was it a dead giveaway that I had been at the machine for 10 minutes.....I had perspiration on my brow.....and was now a shade of gray? Long story short....he showed me how to change it to English.......I grabbed my euro and was on my way! Not so easy.....and that's what I'm learning in my first month in Germany....nothing is quite as easy.....and everything takes time.....lots and lots of time! I headed back to the house and met Hans and Helga. What lovely German people. Guten Tag Frau Schmidt they say with a smile on their face. Helga is a wonderful seamstress and made some curtains for my windows....most handymen arrive in trucks with ladders strapped to the top.....not this handyman. Hans pulls up in his Volkswagon and they proceed to unload from the trunk a ladder and a toolbox. It was like having Inspector Gadget here.....the ladder folded up to the something you could almost put into your pocket....and the toolbox had so many levels to it......it held more than Tim's good old 40 lb. Sears special......even their measuring tapes look like origami......I love German engineering. The curtians were hung, I paid proudly with my Euro....and off they went! Here are some pictures of our German home....and the curtains.
GERMAN LAUNDRY!
Well...I think now that I've been here awhile I've mastered my laundry machine. When we moved in there they were....my brand spankin new washer and dryer in the basement. They certainly will get a lot of use with a family of 5! With all the paperwork (that was in German) there was a sheet that my relocation specialist had prepared for me. 'The Art Of German Washing' - I've always dreamed of being an artist.....so why not a laundry artist.....so as I begin reading I see that the machines are quite a bit smaller than those front loading high efficiency washers I was used to.....but how bad can it be? Well the art of laundry is really the art of planning your day around the laundry. It takes 2 1/2 hours to complete one cycle.....wow! Plus there are so many buttons in German I basically just close my eyes and hit one....and so far Tim hasn't had to go to work with pink underwear from colors bleeding together....the dryer is also quite a machine....You have to empty the lint drawer as normal...but you also have to pull out a tray that has collected water during the drying cycle.....and you can't forget to empty it! I do have to say....my clothes are pretty darn clean and smell wonderful....and I have a wonderful drying rack that is filled to the brim because nothing ever gets dry in the dryer......off to change my load as we speak!
